"Ma Hongjun, you and Oscar take Tang San back to Shrek Academy," Yu Xiaogang said. "No private fighting."
"Is it forbidden, or are you just afraid?" The moment Jiang Mian heard Yu Xiaogang's voice, he cursed, "You sanctimonious hypocrite, what right do you have to speak?"
"What are you that you dare criticize me?" Yu Xiaogang flicked his sleeve and replied calmly.
"You stole Spirit Hall's records, compiled them, and published them as your own. Then you dressed yourself up as a scholar. You're nothing but a monkey in a hat—utterly ridiculous!" Jiang Mian mercilessly exposed Yu Xiaogang's true colors.
"You!" Yu Xiaogang's face flushed red, but he had no words to refute Jiang Mian and could only rage in impotent fury.
Before leaving, Jiang Mian did not forget to sneer, "A trash teacher leading trash students. With strength like yours, you think you deserve to compete in the Spirit Master Tournament? Heh, what a joke."
"That felt great." Yan walked beside Jiang Mian with his hands behind his head, humming a tune. "Brother Mian, I really couldn't tell you were this strong. You've got plenty of ideas too."
"Their teacher once betrayed the Pope, and those students are no good either." Jiang Mian chuckled. "That's why I humiliated them like that."
"You don't need to explain yourself to us." Hu Liena smiled faintly and leaned closer to Jiang Mian. "Whatever you do, we'll support you. From now on, we're comrades who share life and death."
As she spoke, Hu Liena naturally took Zhu Zhuqing's and the auspicious beast's little hands. The three beauties, each with her own charm, exchanged smiles and seemed to get along quite well.
The sun set, and night fell.
Jiang Mian and the others found an inn and casually ordered a few appetizing dishes.
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone was knocking on the inn room's door. Jiang Mian opened it, but there was no one outside. Only a fading afterimage remained around the corner.
Could someone be trying to lure him out? Half-suspicious, Jiang Mian immediately ordered, "You eat first. Bear Lord, come with me. Scarlet King, protect them."
"Alright."
Bear Lord followed behind Jiang Mian. The two moved swiftly and reached the corner in the blink of an eye. Yet strangely, Jiang Mian once again saw only a faint afterimage and could not make out whether the visitor was man or ghost.
"Bear Lord, can you sense who it is?" Jiang Mian asked quietly.
"A Titled Douluo. Not weak, but he has serious hidden injuries," Bear Lord said flatly.
"I see." Jiang Mian suddenly understood. "We beat up the young one, and now the old one has come."
"Then we'll beat up the old one too." Bear Lord sneered. "With that little strength, he dares stick his head out?"
"Isn't it supposed to be a turtle hiding its head? What's this 'sticking its head out' turtle nonsense?" Jiang Mian's earlier tension vanished as he joked, "My knowledge is lacking."
"A fight would be good. Loosen up a little." Bear Lord said helplessly, "Just don't let him be like that Titled Douluo we met in the Star Dou Great Forest last time. Too fragile, no fun at all."
"That's because you're too strong." Jiang Mian patted Bear Lord's belly. "Come on. Sorry for making him wait."
Bear Lord rolled his eyes at Jiang Mian. He was beating someone up yet spoke so politely. This kid really had more twists than a snail's backside.
In the forest outside the city, a middle-aged man in a black cloak quietly waited for Jiang Mian's arrival.
Sure enough, Jiang Mian and Bear Lord quickly caught up to him. Jiang Mian recognized him at once—Tang San's father, Tang Hao!
"I wondered who it was. Turns out the father of that trash from today came looking for us." Jiang Mian chuckled.
"You knew who I was, yet you still dared lay hands on Tang San?" Tang Hao demanded furiously, his tone icy.
"What is there to fear from an old fossil like you?" Jiang Mian mocked him without restraint. "You're just trash who couldn't even protect his own wife."
"If you were trying to anger me..." Tang Hao raised a hand and summoned the legendary number one tool martial soul in the world, gripping the Haotian Hammer in his hand. "Then you succeeded."
Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red.
Soul rings descended from the sky, dyeing the originally dark heavens red.
"I've killed a few Haotian Hammer Spirit Masters before." Bear Lord scratched his head and laughed. "But I've never killed one at the Titled Douluo level."
As he spoke, Bear Lord suddenly revealed his true form. A giant bear as massive as a mountain stood before Jiang Mian, like an unshakable city wall—the Immovable Wisdom King.
"A Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?" Tang Hao chuckled. "I never thought a beast would dare enter the human world."
"Little thing, you're awfully arrogant." Bear Lord swung a paw. Tang Hao gripped the hammer handle with both hands and used the force to swing it out.
The collision produced an ear-piercing metallic screech. Fortunately, Jiang Mian was now a Soul King. If a low-level Spirit Master had heard such a sound here, their eardrums would have long since shattered.
"Very strong." Tang Hao chuckled as the Haotian Hammer in his hand swung rapidly. Bear Lord did not budge, casually blocking the crushing hammer strikes with only his hands.
"That's the Chaotic Cape Hammer Technique?" Jiang Mian recognized Tang Hao's technique as the Clear Sky Sect's secret art, the Chaotic Cape Hammer Technique. It was said that each strike was stronger than the last, and when stacked to eighty-one strikes, it could crush a city!
"Just a cheap trick." Bear Lord unleashed a Sky Rend Claw, its momentum unstoppable.
Tang Hao hurriedly swung his hammer to meet Bear Lord head-on. Only by relying on the Haotian Hammer's power did he barely block Bear Lord's Sky Rend Claw.
Man and bear battled fiercely, while clashing metallic sounds echoed endlessly between heaven and earth.
Jiang Mian covered his ears. Even though he had reached the Soul King realm, the intense energy fluctuations still left him struggling to endure.
"Haha, I'm holding you here, but what about your companions at the inn?" Tang Hao laughed loudly. "How could you possibly have two experts like this?"
"Oh? How did you know?" Jiang Mian said with feigned surprise. "Actually, there aren't just two. There are five!"
"What!" Tang Hao's eyes widened. He had never expected the other side to possess so many supreme experts. Earlier that day, he had secretly discussed things with Yu Xiaogang: he would lure away Jiang Mian's group leader, while Flander and the others handled the rest.
After all, no matter how powerful the leader of those youngsters was, there could not possibly be two Titled Douluo-level experts, could there?
Yet now Jiang Mian was telling Tang Hao that he had four more experts like this?
Tang Hao drew a deep breath. The yellow soul ring beneath his feet suddenly exploded, turning into specks of light that fused into his body.
"Ring detonation?" Jiang Mian's expression remained calm. "Bear Lord, be careful. This move is powerful."
"Is that so?" Bear Lord unleashed the Sky Rend Claw, said to be capable of tearing space itself, intending to forcibly interrupt Tang Hao's ring detonation.
"Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Tang Hao roared and activated his Martial Soul Avatar. A massive, illusory red Tang Hao slowly emerged behind him. The phantom held a Haotian Hammer nearly equal to Bear Lord in size. As it came smashing down, heaven and earth changed color.
Bear Lord snorted coldly and actually took it head-on with his head!
A deep, bell-like boom rang through the heavens. Bear Lord dropped onto the ground on his backside, the fur on his forehead scattered. Yet he suffered no obvious injuries, only dizziness and blurred vision.
After landing the blow, Tang Hao no longer dared linger. He immediately fled. If he stayed any longer and Bear Lord recovered, he would have to leave his life behind here.
How could he possibly stand a chance against a soul beast that could withstand the Great Sumeru Hammer after ring detonation without injury?
"Damn it, he got away." Bear Lord returned to human form. A bright red lump had appeared on his head, and he bared his teeth while rubbing it. "That guy really can't be underestimated. He hit me so hard my head's spinning."
"He ran fast." Jiang Mian comforted Bear Lord with a smile. "Otherwise, we could have taken him down today."
Bear Lord chuckled. He was quite supportive of Jiang Mian. The ruthlessness in this kid suited his tastes perfectly.
"What did that guy just say? He sent people to deal with the auspicious beast and the others?" Bear Lord asked in surprise. "What did he drink to get this drunk? Scarlet King may be useless, but dealing with those weaklings should be more than easy for him."
"They thought you were the only top expert with us. But this kind of behavior—resorting to underhanded tricks when they can't win—is truly disgusting." Jiang Mian said with disgust. "Looks like those brats still need some discipline."
Inside the inn...
Scarlet King looked at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, who lay on the floor barely clinging to life. He stepped forward and patted their cheeks, signaling for Yan to bring some fire.
Earlier, Flander had appeared at the inn and lured Scarlet King and Xie Yue away. When Zhao Wuji arrived afterward, he was sent flying by the auspicious beast and Yan.
At the time, Xie Yue and Yan wanted to test themselves, so they suggested to Scarlet King that they fight those two Soul Saints. Even if they could not win, Scarlet King and the auspicious beast would be there to back them up.
After all, such an opportunity was hard to come by.
Flander and Zhao Wuji were originally no match for the auspicious beast and Scarlet King. If Scarlet King had not agreed to let Xie Yue and Yan gain some experience, how could those two have lasted this long?
Because the two had arrived late, Scarlet King and the auspicious beast had not acted. That was why they managed to hold out until Tang Hao arrived.
Tang Hao detonated all his remaining soul rings and launched a full-force Great Sumeru Hammer strike at Xie Yue and Yan, forcing Scarlet King and the auspicious beast to join forces to block it.
He then used the opportunity to retreat with Flander and Zhao Wuji.
But Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, who had followed the two here, suffered for it. Seeing everyone being lured away and only Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing remaining in the room—
They saw the two lovely girls and assumed they were weak young women with no real ability.
Who could have expected them to be so strong as well? One was a level forty-six Soul Ancestor, and the other was a level thirty-nine Soul Elder.
Zhu Zhuqing showed Dai Mubai no mercy at all. She did not even acknowledge him, and after dealing with the two, she returned to her room alone to cultivate.
"Zhuqing." Jiang Mian and Bear Lord hurried back. Looking at the two men lying on the floor and pretending to be dead, Jiang Mian wore a disgusted expression. "Scarlet King, throw them out. They're revolting."
"Jiang Mian." Hu Liena quietly pressed close to Jiang Mian and smiled. "Those two didn't know their place. They tried to sneak attack Sister Zhuqing and me. Fortunately, they were complete trash."
"Where's Zhuqing?" Jiang Mian patted Hu Liena's hand and smiled. "I'll go check on her."
"Sister Zhuqing went to her room. It's the one at the end of the corridor." Hu Liena was clearly a little jealous, but she still smiled and told Jiang Mian where Zhu Zhuqing was.
"Alright, deal with these two however you like, but don't kill them." Jiang Mian said, "We still need to send them back to humiliate Shrek's people. Of course, crushing one or two of their little things is fine."
"Oh!" Xie Yue and Yan instinctively covered their crotches. That statement was truly frightening.
"I'll go check on Zhuqing." After giving his instructions, Jiang Mian headed toward Zhu Zhuqing's room.
He knew Zhu Zhuqing knew Dai Mubai, and he feared seeing him had stirred up old memories. That was why Jiang Mian wanted to check on her as soon as possible.
"Zhuqing." Jiang Mian reached the door, knocked gently, and said softly, "It's Jiang Mian."
"The door isn't locked." Zhu Zhuqing's cold voice came from inside. Jiang Mian immediately sensed that something was wrong. Zhuqing did not usually speak to him like this.
Jiang Mian quietly opened the door and entered the room. He found Zhu Zhuqing sitting cross-legged on the bed, cultivating. He did not dare disturb her too much and simply sat quietly beside her.
"Jiang Mian, I..." Zhu Zhuqing slowly opened her eyes. Tears filled them, and her brows trembled slightly. She seemed to have countless grievances, yet could not speak them aloud.
"I'm here." Jiang Mian gently wrapped his arms around Zhu Zhuqing and held her against his chest. Zhu Zhuqing nestled into his embrace, as though it gave her a sense of security. "I don't want to lose."
"You won't." Jiang Mian softly patted Zhu Zhuqing's back and smiled. "With me here, you will never lose."
"Jiang Mian, will you always stay with me?" Zhu Zhuqing suddenly hugged Jiang Mian and asked in a trembling voice, "You won't abandon me, will you?"
Years of royal life had left Zhu Zhuqing severely lacking in security and trust. Now, Jiang Mian was the one who gave her both.
That was why she feared losing Jiang Mian. Especially after seeing Dai Mubai today, old memories had resurfaced, making her even more afraid.
"I won't." Jiang Mian's voice was quiet, but his words were firm. "I will never leave you."
"Mm." Hearing his answer, Zhu Zhuqing lay in Jiang Mian's arms. Her voice grew softer and softer until she slowly fell asleep.
She had not slept peacefully in many years. Since birth, she had been forced to surpass her older sister. She had lived under intense pressure all these years. No one could bear that, let alone Zhuqing, who was only twelve years old.
Jiang Mian let Zhu Zhuqing rest her head on his lap. He stroked her beautiful hair, his face full of tenderness.
Even if the auspicious beast's transformed appearance was his unattainable first love, even if Hu Liena was more seductive, even if they both held a place in his heart, Jiang Mian knew his own heart. Zhu Zhuqing had always held an irreplaceable place within it.
The night passed without incident. Dawn came the next day.
Zhu Zhuqing's little mouth hung slightly open. She had not expected to sleep so soundly that she had even drooled.
Jiang Mian had not moved at all. He maintained the same position all night because he feared that if he moved, Zhu Zhuqing would wake up.
"Mm?" Zhu Zhuqing slowly awoke. Her face felt a little cool. Looking down, she saw that Jiang Mian's clothes over his legs had already been soaked through.
Zhu Zhuqing's little face instantly turned bright red. She hurriedly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and looked at Jiang Mian apologetically.
"It's fine." Jiang Mian had just prepared to stand and stretch his limbs, but his legs gave out. With a thump, he dropped to his knees on the floor, landing directly in front of Zhu Zhuqing.
"Jiang Mian." Xie Yue pushed the door open. Seeing the scene inside, realization dawned across his face. He grinned, quickly shut the door again, and said, "Sorry for disturbing you. Carry on."
"Get back here! What is it?"
"The Pope ordered us to meet her in the Sunset Forest. She's going there to hunt a soul beast."
Before you continue